THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 
OF  CALIFORNIA 

LOS  ANGELES 


7 


THE  PHRASE 


A   MONOGRAPH 


BY 


F.  G.  MORRIS,  M.  A. 


EASTHAMPTON,  MASS. 
PUBLISHED  BY  THE  AUTHOR. 

1885. 


COPYRIGHT  BY  F.  G.  MORRIS,  188o. 


Printed  by  L.  E.Torrey,  Easthampton.Mass. 


hA 


EVERY  DISTINCT  THING   HAS  A   COMPLETE- 
NESS OF  ITS  OWN. 


ANALYSIS. 


INTRODUCTORY. 


I.  STATEMENT. 

«2  1'age 
taj     i.  DEFINITION,              ...,..-.       9 

(1)  Rhetorical  phrase,                      ...  9 

(2)  Musical  phrase,          •          -          •          -  10 

(3)  Shorthand  phrase,  11 

(a)  Two  or  more  word-forms  joined,  -  -      11 
(6)  Words  joined  because  they  belong 

together,        .....  12 

2.  ADVANTAGES,            -         -         -         -         -  .15 
^             (1)  Higher  speed,        .....  17 
?*•                    (a)  Pen-lifting  diminished,         -          -  -      17 
f)                      (6)  Words  more  freely  abbreviated  when 

z                           joined  than  when  alone,  18 

(2)  Increased  legibility,           -          .          -  19 

(a)  Less  haste  and  better  penmanship,    -  19 

(6)  Words  joined  according  to  their  relations,  20 

3.  CAUTION,     .......  21 

•I               (1)  Importance  of  study  and  practice,         -  -     21 

(2)  Value  of  experience  and  habit,        -          .  23 


II    THE  PRINCIPLE. 

1.  DEFINITION,              -         -         -          -         -  ..26 

(1)  Principle  distinguished  from  rule,             -  27 

(2)  Principle  distinguished  from  expedient,  -     30 

2.  THE  PRINCIPLE 31 


448540 


VI 

III.  APPLICATION. 

1.  RULES. 

(1)  Pronominal  subject,        .... 

(2)  Qualifying  word, 

(3)  Leading  word,       - 

(4)  Governing  word, 

2.  EXPEDIENTS, 

(1)  Omission, 

(2)  Restoration, 

(3)  Substitution,    - 


(4)  Breaking, 


50 

(5)  Convenience,    •                     ... 
3.  KINDS  OF  PHRASES, 

(1)  Simple, 

Pronominal,        -  ... 

Qualitative,    -----          '     54 
Final, 
Objective, 

(2)  Phrases  of  Omission, 

"  Restoration, 

«'  Substitution, 

"  Convenience  (Formal),       -          -     54 

(3)  Compound, 

IV.  LIMITS Theory  and  practice. 

1.  SPEED, 

62 


59 
2.  LEGIBILITY,          •  • 


V.  CONCLUSION. 

1.  SHORTHAND  SYSTEMS,    ...--'•• 

2.  SHORTHAND  WRITERS,        -  •     ( 

3.  A  SUGGESTION,     -  •         & 


INTRODUCTORY. 


I  have  not  given  extended  examples. 
I  think  the  principle  substantially 
covers  all  good  phrase-writing;  and 
while  it  seems  needless  to  add  another 
to  the  several  dictionaries  and  phrase- 
books  already  published  in  as  many 
systems,  it  would  also  be  impracticable 
to  show  examples  here  for  all  systems. 
I  trust  this  little  book,  the  fruit  of 
many  years'  study  and  practice,  may 
be  to  the  phonographer  what  the 
working  drawing  is  to  the  machine 
builder  or  architect.  I  will  place 
upon  it  no  valuation  of  my  own;  but 
if  worthy,  may  it  have  large  use  as 
a  companion  to  kindred  works,  and 
prove  good  help  to  teachers,  practical 


8  THE   PHRASE. 

and  professional  writers,  and  students 
of  all  grades.  I  have  long  had  it  in 
mind,  as  a  humble  help  towards 
rendering  shorthand  study  and  prac- 
tice less  empirical  and  more  scientific. 
As  such,  I  submit  it  to  the  candid 
judgment  of  phonographers  in  general. 


I.    STATEMENT. 


1.  DEFINITION.  All  things  that  we 
can  perceive  or  know  about  are  com- 
paratively incomplete.  Everything 
that  can  be  known  by  us  is  so  related 
to  some  other  things  as  to  depend 
upon  them  partly  for  its  own  charac- 
ter. But,  however  small  compared 
with  the  great  whole,  and  however 
involved  with  other  things,  every 
distinct  thing  has  a  completeness  of 
its  own.  The  first  view  we  can  take 
of  anything  is  its  individual  com- 
pleteness. Until  we  see  this  we  do 
not  see  the  thing  by  itself,  but  as 
merged  in  other  things. 

(1).  A  rhetorical  composition  may  be 
regarded  as  a  united  whole.  But  each 


10  THE   PHRASE. 

of  the  subjects,  subdivisions,  para- 
graphs and  sentences  which  together 
make  up  the  whole,  has  its  own  com- 
pleteness. And  a  sentence  may  consist 
of  several  members,  all  of  which 
together  form  the  sentence,  but  each 
of  which  is  individually  complete. 
This  last  is  a  phrase;  tb,at  is,  two  or 
more  words  so  related  as  to  express 
an  individually  complete  idea. 

(2).  A  musical  composition,  however 
elaborate,  is  composed  of  parts  tech- 
nically called  periods.  But  as  a 
sentence  in  rhetoric,  so  a  period  in 
music  is  composed  of  members  so 
related  as  to  produce  together  the 
impression  of  completeness.  Each  of 
these  component  members  of  a  period 
is  called  a  phrase;  that  is,  a  series 
of  musical  designs  or  conceptions  so 
related  as  to  be  together  complete. 

I  venture  the  statement  that  both  in 
rhetoric  and  in  music  the  phrase  is 


THE   PHRASE.  11 

the  point  where  we  cease  to  deal 
with  the  mere  materials  of  a  com- 
position, and  begin  to  deal  with  its 
structure;  in  other  words,  where  we 
drop  the  unity  of  unconnected  ele- 
ments, and  reach  the  higher  unity 
which  results  from  combination. 
From  the  rhetorical  phrase  is  pro- 
duced the  eloquent  discourse,  the 
well  wrought  book;  from  the  musical 
phrase  the  intricate  fugue,  the  majestic 
symphony. 

(3).  A  shorthand  phrase  possesses 
a  twofold  character:  but  whichever 
view  we  take  of  it,  we  discover  in 
it,  as  in  the  rhetorical  and  musical 
phrases,  the  quality  of  individual  com- 
pleteness. 

(a).  A  shorthand  phrase  consists  of 
two  or  more  word-forms  joined  in  a 
single  compound  sign;  that  is,  with- 
out lifting  the  pen.  Here  the  quality 
of  completeness  is  very  apparent,  the 


12  THE   PHRASE. 

phrase-sign  being  executed  by  a  fin- 
ished action  of  the  hand,  and  visible 
when  done.  A  few  good  phrases 
have  no  other  property. 

(6).  Were  this  all,  however,  phrase- 
writing  would  not  require  explanation, 
as  its  only  rule  would  be  convenience 
of  joining,  and  its  only  object  an 
increase  of  speed.  But  the  subject  is 
hardly  so  elementary  as  this,  nor  is 
the  end  sought  so  limited.  Legibility 
is  as  important,  practically,  as  speed; 
and  in  shorthand,  as  is  well  known, 
much  more  than  in  ordinary  writing, 
the  reading  depends  upon  the  con- 
nection. In  other  words,  the  legibility 
of  shorthand  is  greatly  increased  or 
diminished,  as  the  relations  of  words 
are  observed  or  neglected.  Hence,  a 
phrase  which  in  point  of  compact- 
ness and  convenience  of  execution 
is  desirable,  may  be  very  objectionable 
because  misleading;  that  is,  illegible. 


THE   PHRASE.  13 

With  a  very  few  exceptions,  words 
should  be  joined,  not  merely  because 
they  can  be,  but  also,  and  principally, 
because  they  belong  together.  The 
best  phrases  are  those  which  not  only 
increase  the  speed,  but  even  if  they 
did  not.  unless  diminishing'  it,  might 
well  be  employed  to  indicate  the 
relations  of  the  joined  words.  Out- 
side of  this  statement,  words  may 
stand  near  each  other,  and  even  have 
some  relation  to  each  other.  But,  as 
it  is  in  rhetoric  and  music,  so  it  is 
here;  to  make  the  best  shorthand 
phrase  the  relation  must  be  such 
as  to  produce  the  impression  of  com- 
pleteness. This  is  what  I  mean  by 
words  belonging  together,  and  I  have 
stated  the  point  at  the  expense  of  some 
iteration,  because  it  is  vital  in  this 
examination. 

I    consider    that    shorthand    at    this 
point  first  becomes,  an  art,  in  the  sense 


14  THE  PHRASE. 

of  an  intelligent  effort  for  a  precon- 
ceived result,  including  the  law  by 
which  the  effort  is  conducted,  and  the 
result  as  reached  at  last.  In  fact, 
shorthand  excites,  gratifies  and  edu- 
cates the  taste,  as  well  as  the  judg- 
ment, and  may  be  carried,  unhappily 
seldom  is,  into  the  standing  of  a  fine 
art.  The  truly  expert  shorthand  writer 
is  not  a  mere  copyist;  he  is  an  artist. 
Though  probably  no  man  in  actual 
work  reaches  his  ideal,  and  though  in 
the  press  of  execution  it  is  perhaps 
impossible  to  maintain  elegance  of 
form,  or  even  to  make  a  point  of  it;  yet 
the  result,  far  from  being  a  mere  nota- 
tion of  the  speaker's  words,  is  a  pic- 
ture of  his  thoughts.  Like  a  good 
picture,  it  has  its  lights  and  shades, 
its  colors  and  its  life.  Next  to  the 
living  voice  itself,  the  well  phrased 
shorthand  report  is  instinct  with 
meaning,  and  embodies  the  essence 


THE   PHRASE.  15 

of  the  matter  reported,  as  Jonghand, 
written  or  printed,  cannot  do.  We 
may  regard  shorthand  as  an  accom- 
plishment, as  an  instrument  of  work, 
as  a  means  of  livelihood;  or  we  may 
pursue  it  as  an  art,  enter  its  holy  of 
holies,  strengthen  the  mind  by  contact 
with  its  changeless  principles,  fascin- 
ate the  attention  with  its  endless 
applications,  delight  the  taste  with  its 
many  and  great  beauties.  Its  highest 
use  includes  both  these  methods. 

2.  ADVANTAGES.  Of  course,  the  great 
point  in  shorthand  is  speed.  But,  con- 
sidering the  different  purposes  for 
which  the  art  may  be  used,  it  may  be 
said  that  the  requirement  of  speed  is 
variable.  In  general  terms,  great 
speed  is  reached  at  the 'partial  expense 
of  legibility,  and  great  legibility  at 
the  partial  expense  of  speed.  But  any 
form  of  shorthand  provides  a  far 
higher  speed  than  can  be  attained  by 


16  THE   PHRASE. 

the  ordinary  method  of  writing. 
Hence,  shorthand  is  of  great  value 
in  correspondence,  and  in  all  kinds  of 
literary  work,  where  speed  is  satis- 
factory, though  not  verbatim,  being 
strictly  subordinate  to  legibility.  But 
for  the  more  advanced  forms  and 
more  exacting  requirements,  especially 
for  very  rapid  verbatim  writing,  speed 
must  be  carried  to  the  farthest  point 
at  which  it  is  at  all  legible.  In  other 
words,  in  the  latter  case  legibility 
need  not  be  so  ample  as  in  the  former. 
To  read  a  phonographic  manuscript 
in  public  requires  great  legibility,  or 
the  reading  will  be  unnatural,  some- 
times hesitating.  But  every  end  is 
gained  by  the  reporter,  if,  when  called 
on,  he  can  read  his  notes  intelligibly, 
if  not  with  grace  or  extreme  ease, 
write  them  out,  or  dictate  them  with- 
out unreasonable  delay.  I  am  speak- 
ing now  of  degrees  of  legibility,  not 


THE  PHRASE.  17 

of  legibility  as  against  illegibility. 
Legibility  has  a  high  place  in  all  forms 
of  shorthand.  Without  it  the  highest 
speed  is  worthless.  There  is  no  ad- 
vantage in  writing  fast,  if  what  is 
written  cannot  be  read. 

(1).  The  most  obvious  advantage 
gained  by  phrase-writing  is  a  higher 
speed.  Probably,  next  to  reasonably 
brief  forms,  no  other  one  instrument 
of  speed  is  equally  effective,  especially 
as  phrase-writing  includes  sooner  or 
later  most  other  speed  producing 
processes. 

(a).  The  phrase  increases  speed  by 
obviating  pen-liftings.  The  act  of 
pen-lifting  is  quite  complex.  In  ad- 
dition to  raising  the  pen,  moving  it 
along  a  little  space,  and  re-applying 
it  to  the  paper,  there  are  the  mental 
acts  of  ending  one  word  and  begin- 
ning another.  Of  course,  all  these 
processes  may  be  executed  quickly: 
3 


18  THE  PHRASE. 

but  time  is  time.  It  is  not  easy  to 
estimate  a  point  like  this;  but  prob- 
ably a  pen-lifting  requires  as  much 
time  as  the  writing  of  two  strokes, 
possibly  three.  One  pen-lifting,  it  is 
true,  even  estimated  as  above,  does 
not  require  much  time;  but  many 
hundreds  or  thousands  occurring  in 
close  succession  are  a  very  serious 
drawback.  Hence  anything  that  re- 
duces the  number  of  pen-liftings  is 
very  favorable  to  high  speed. 

(b).  Other  things  being  equal,  a 
word  composed  of  several  strokes  may 
be  more  freely  abbreviated  than  would 
be  safe  with  a  word  composed  of  very 
few  strokes;  and  a  word  of  a  single 
stroke  generally  cannot  be  abbreviated 
at  all,  except  by  changing  it,  as  may 
sometimes  be  done,  into  a  tick,  or 
other  brief  sign,  by  omitting  a  dot,  or 
the  like.  But  in  a  many-stroke  word 
enough  elements  are  left  after  free 


THE  PHRASE.  19 

abbreviation  for  identification.  By 
equal  reasoning,  words  in  a  phrase 
may  be  abbreviated  more  freely  than 
when  they  stand  alone.  In  fact,  some 
words  may  be  altogether  omitted  from 
a  phrase.  All  this  is  very  helpful  to 
high  speed,  and  the  aggregate  advan- 
tage in  extended  notes,  I  think,. may 
nearly  equal  that  mentioned  in  (a) 
above. 

(2).  The  bearing  of  the  phrase  upon 
legibility  may  not  be  equally  obvi- 
ous, but  it  is  equally  real,  and  about 
equally  important. 

(«•).  The  pressed  writer  sometimes 
executes  forms,  legible  enough  in 
themselves,  with  so  much  agitation, 
as  to  distort  them  beyond  recognition 
in  reading.  This  often  happens  to 
defectively  trained  persons  whose 
speed  is  not  equal  to  the  demand  upon 
it,  and  to  good  writers  out  of  practice. 
In  fact,  the  best  writer  in  his  best 


20  THE  PHRASE. 

mood  is  liable  to  be  occasionally  over- 
taken in  this  way,  for  the  demand  of 
speed  is  sometimes  very  exacting. 
Of  course,  any  thing  which  reduces 
the  amount  of  writing,  that  is,  the 
number  of  pen  movements,  in  a  given 
time,  in  effect  lengthens  the  time; 
and  the  abbreviations  of  phrase-writ- 
ing, as  above  described,  render  the 
notes  more  legible  by  enabling  the 
writer  to  work  more  at  ease. 

(b).  We  have  already  seen  that 
words  in  phrases  may  be  more  freely 
abbreviated  than  when  alone.  It 
may  be  added  that  they  are  often 
more  legible  in  phrases  than  when 
alone.  The  reasons  are  similar.  In 
a  phrase  the  words  are  so  related  that 
one  helps  to  read  the  other,  and  even 
when  much  abbreviated,  enough  of 
the  phrase  is  left  to  identify  the 
whole.  It  is  plain  at  this  point  that 
phrase  legibility  depends  much  on 


THE  PHRASE.  21 

the  correctness  -of  the  phrase,  and 
the  above  remarks  do  not*  apply  to 
a  phrase  improperly  written.  In  this 
last  case  legibility  is  usually  much 
impaired,  sometimes  quite  destroyed. 

:).  CAUTION.  It  is  objected  that  in 
very  rapid  writing  the  common  tend- 
ency is  to  write  separate  words. 
This  may  be  admitted  (as  perhaps  it 
should  be)  without  retracting  any- 
thing already  said,  but  it  does  not 
prove  what  it  is  often  supposed  to. 
The  case  may  be  illustrated  by  a 
parallel.  Other  things  being  equal, 
reasonably  small  notes  (a  somewhat 
indefinite  expression,  it  is  true,  as 
notes  that  would  be  small  for  one 
person  might  be  large  for  another) 
are  quicker  than  large  ones.  Yet  in 
very  rapid  writing  the  common  tend- 
ency is  to  write  larger  than  in  more 
deliberate  work. 

(1).     Were    difficulties    of    this    kind 


22  THE  PHRASE. 

peculiar  to  shorthand,  they  might 
need  special  explanation.  But,  here 
or  elsewhere,  they  are  easily  accounted 
for  by  two  simple  facts.  One  is,  a 
confused  man  cannot  use  all  his 
resources.  One  has  no  good  reason 
to  be  disappointed,  when  he  finds 
that  he  cannot  do  that  which  he 
has  not  qualified  himself  to  do.  The 
instant  the  shorthand  writer  goes 
beyond  the  point  to  which  his  study, 
practice  and  experience  have  legiti- 
mately brought  him,  he  is  at  a  loss, 
and  not  only  does  not  use  all  the 
means  of  speed  which  he  is  really 
master  of,  but  infallibly  does  things 
which  diminish  his  speed  and  defeat 
his  purpose.  Possibly,  the  greatest 
drawback  to  the  shorthand  cause  is 
the  notion,  entertained  by  not  a  few. 
that  the  art  can  be  mastered  in  a 
very  short  time,  with  little  or  no 
effort,  and  that  in  an  emergency  what 


THE   PHRASE.  23 

one  lacks  in  qualification  he  can 
make  up  in  some  other  way.  A  grave 
responsibility  attaches  to  those  authors, 
publishers  and  teachers  who,  for  any 
purpose,  favor  these  errors.  The  most 
valuable  acquirements  are  not  the 
easiest,  and  extreme  ease  of  acqui- 
sition is  not  a  high  merit  in  anything. 
Intellectual  dullness  and  aversion  to 
serious  effort  are  not  specially  desir- 
able qualities  .  in  a  shorthand  writer. 
To  realize  the  full  value  of  the  phrase, 
one  should  master  it  by  study  and 
practice.  And  it  should  be  particu- 
larly noted  that  actual  work  is  not 
study,  it  is  not  practice,  and  for 
personal  improvement  cannot  take 
the  place  of  either. 

(2).  On  the  other  hand,  (and  here 
we  meet  another  explaining  fact), 
for  the  highest  results,  even  study  and 
practice  are  not  sufficient,  but  must 
be  combined  with  experience  and 


24  THE   PHRASE. 

habit.  The  work  of  a  shorthand 
teacher  is  at  no  point  more  clearly 
defined  than  at  the  point  where  it 
stops,  and  the  pupil  passes  under  the 
tuition  of  that  great  teacher  of  all. 
which  helps  those  who  are  prepared 
for  it,  but  deals  roughly  with  those 
who  prefer  to  take  it  first.  No  amount 
of  study  and  practice  can  impart  the 
tact  and  intrepidity  of  the  experienced 
reporter,  and  no  amount  of  tact  and 
intrepidity,  even  in  the  experienced 
reporter,  can  make  up  for  the  neglect 
of  study  and  practice.  There  is  little 
danger  of  placing  the  standard  of 
shorthand  proficiency  too  high.  Study, 
practice  and  work,  however,  will  in 
no  long  time  result  in  correct  habit; 
and  that  established,  the  full  value 
of  the  phrase  will  be  experienced 
ever  after.  This  may  be  illustrated 
in  a  very  simple  manner,  by  writing 
longhand  rapidly,  taking  pains  to 


THE   PHRASE.  25 

separate  the  letters,  instead  of  joining 
them  in  words  as  in  the  ordinary 
way.  This  will  usually  be  found  quite 
as  difficult  as  phrase- writing  is  to  a 
shorthand  writer  accustomed  to  writ- 
ing separate  words.  One  may  know 
how  to  use  phrases,  but  unless  trained 
to  do  so,  he  will  forget  them  in  pro- 
portion as  he  ceases  to  be  particular 
about  the  manner  of  his  writing,  and 
his  real  habit  will  assert  itself  under 
the  pressure  of  the  work. 


II.  THE  PRINCIPLE. 


1.  DEFINITION.  Many  persons,  on 
learning  (from  authority  which  they 
consider  sufficient,  by  experiment,  or 
in  some  other  way)  that  a  thing  is  so 
and  so,  instantly  accept  the  fact  by 
imitative  thought  or  practice.  In 
this  way  most  opinions  are  formed 
and  most  acts  done.  But  a  thoughtful 
person,  on  being  told  that  a  thing  is 
so  and  so,  wishes  and  seeks  to  know 
why.  And  when  he  has  found  what, 
so  far  as  he  can  see,  is  the  original 
reason  why  the  thing  is  so  and  so, 
and  cannot  possibly  or  easily  be  other- 
wise, he  calls  that  first  reason  the 
principle  of  the  thing.  He  does  not 
originate  it,  or  own  it-  he  cannot 


THE   PHRASE.  27 

control  or  change  it.  He  simply  finds 
it.  It  existed  before  he  knew  of  it; 
it  would  now  exist  if  he  had  not 
come  upon  it;  it  will  continue,  though 
he  should  misunderstand,  mistake  or 
forget  it.  The  principle  of  a  thing 
is  its  beginning,  sometimes  expressed 
by  the  words  nature,  fitness,  and  the 
like,  but  always  with  the  meaning  of 
necessary,  or  best.  The  relation  of 
several  principles  (often  called  general 
principles)  may  be  reasoned  out,  but 
a  single  principle  cannot  be.  It  is 
the  simple,  undivided,  indivisible  es- 
sence of  a  thing,  for  which  there  is 
no  reason,  except  that  it  is.  -  The 
mind,  I  think,  does  not  usually  find 
out  a  principle  on  purpose.  The  prin- 
ciple discovers  itself,  and  the  finder 
should  be  counted  happy  rather  than 
praiseworthy.  The  most  he  can  do  is 
to  test  and  then  state  it. 

(1).     A    principle    should    be    distin- 


28  THE   PHRASE. 

guished  from  a  rule.  A  rule  is  a 
method,  or  the  statement  of  a  method 
by  which  a  principle  is  made  use  of. 
Sometimes  one  principle  pertains  to 
more  than  one  subject,  and  this  re- 
lation may  require  different  rules  for 
the  different  subjects.  But  the  prin- 
ciple is  the  same  everywhere;  and  this 
is  why  different  subjects,  studied  by 
their  principles,  often  throw  light 
upon  each  other,  so  that  the  student 
of  principles  has  a  firmer  grasp  upon 
his  s.ubjects.  Usually,  a  principle  can- 
not be  universally  applied  in  practice, 
because  of  some  peculiarity  in  the 
practice,  some  relation  of  the  principle 
to  other  principles,  or  for  some  other 
reason.  In  this  case,  the  rule  pre- 
scribes how  the  principle  may  be 
applied,  and  the  cases  where  it  cannot 
be  are  arranged  as  far  as  possible  in 
classes,  and  called  exceptions.  A 
principle  does  not  admit  of  exceptions; 


THE   PHRASE.  29 

a   rule    is    seldom,    without    them.       A 
principle  is  what  it  is;  a  rule  is  what 
it    is    made.      No    man    can    make    or 
change  a  principle;   any  man,  whether 
he  knows  enough  or  not,  can  make  or 
change    a    rule.       Whoever    makes    a 
rule,   it    is    good    in    proportion    as    it 
makes     its     principle      practical,     the 
former    being    the    instrument    of    the 
latter.       But    truth    to    the    principle 
sometimes  requires  that  the  best  rule 
be   suspended.     It  follows  that   excep- 
tions  are  as   useful   as  rules,  and  the 
objections     raised    by     some     persons 
against  the  former  are  not  well  taken. 
The    principal    difference    between    a 
rule    and    its  exceptions   seems  to    be 
that    the    rule    represents,   or    should, 
the  regular  and    general  applications, 
and    the    exceptions    the    special    and 
occasional  uses.      It  is  not  uncommon, 
as  the  well  known  expression  has  it, 
for  the   exceptions  to   prove  the  rule; 


30  THE   PHRASE. 

that  is,  the  exceptions  may  be  so  few  as 
to  make  the  rule  particularly  obvious. 
Strictly  speaking,  an  exception  is  it- 
self a  rule,  but  for  convenience  is 
classed  as  an  exception  under  a  more 
general  rule.  It  has  been  said  that 
fire  is  a  good  servant,  but  a  bad  mas- 
ter. So  is  a  rule. 

(2).  Sometimes  the  occasional  use 
of  a  principle  is  so  remote  from  the 
classified  exceptions,  that  it  cannot 
be  derived  from  or  connected  with 
them.  This  is  an  expedient,  or  shift, 
and  is  the  most  irregular  form  of 
practice.  A  system  of  practice  mostly 
consisting  of  expedients  is  scientific- 
ally worthless,  and  burdensome  in  use. 
But  an  expedient  in  its  place  is  en- 
tirely legitimate,  as  it  may  help  to 
apply  a  principle;  and  should  be 
employed,  so  far  as  it  does  not  inter- 
fere with  some  useful  rule,  exception 
or  other  expedient. 


THE  PHRASE.  31 

2.  THE  PRINCIPLE.  The  principle 
which  governs  all  good  phrases,  (ex- 
cept a  few.  which  will  be  noted  in 
their  place),  and  which  seems  to  carry 
the  subject  back  as  far  as  it  can  go, 
thus  marking  a  point  from  which  it 
may  be  strongly  reasoned,  has  been 
incidentally  stated  several  times  in 
the  preceding  pages.  Every  distinct 
thing  has  a  completeness  of  its  own. 


III.  APPLICATION. 


The  principle  above  stated,  applied 
to  a  shorthand  phrase,  requires  that 
the  word  or  words  of  incomplete  or 
indefinite  meaning  shall  be  joined  to 
the  word  or  words  by  which  the 
meaning  is  completed  or  defined. 

1.  RULES.  My  present  design  is 
not  so  much  to  recite  the  rules  of 
phrase-writing,  which  have  been  well 
expressed  by  others;  but  rather  to 
explain  them  by  the  principle  speci- 
fied. If  I  state  them  in  my  own  way, 
as  to  some  extent  I  shall,  I  wish  to 
be  understood  as  not  claiming  any 
authorship  in  them.  They  are  such 
as  I  believe  are  used  in  the  main  by 
good  writers.  I  do  not  ignore,  and 


THE   PHRASE.  33 

have  no  desire  to  displace  the  several 
works  on  the  subject  in  present  use. 
which  largely  consist  of  phrase-lists. 
My  object  will  be  gained,  if  I  can 
help,  however  little,  authors  who 
teach  well,  and  writers  who  work 
well;  and  I  think  that  examples  and 
usage,  so  far  as  correct,  will  not  be 
prejudiced,  but  justified  and  estab- 
lished by  this  exposition.  I  have 
tested  it  myself,  and  found  it  helpful: 
and  I  offer  it,  not  as  a  mere  theory, 
but  as  a  working  plan. 

(1).  Pronominal  subject.  Every  good 
sentence  says  something.  That  of 
which  something  is  said  is  the  subject: 
that  which  is  said  of  the  subject  is 
the  predicate.  In  the  nature  of  the 
case,  each  of  these  is  complete  in  it- 
self. 

The  subject  may  be  a  single  word, 
or  several  related  words;  but  whether 
one  or  the  other,  it  must  be  to  the 
5 


34  THE  PHRASE. 

sentence  what  the  notion  is  to  the 
argument,  or  the  theme  to  the  dis- 
course. The  logician  must  kno\v 
what  he  is  reasoning  about,  the  orator 
or  author  must  know  what  he  is 
speaking  or  writing  about,  and  a  man 
who  undertakes  to  say  anything  must 
know  what  he  is  to  say  it  about. 
Men  often  contend  warmly  about  sub- 
jects which  they  do  not  understand, 
and  thus  multiply  arguments  without 
reaching  conviction;  and  some  part  of 
current  oratory  and  authorship  pro- 
duces no  effect,  or  a  wrong  effect,  for 
a  like  reason.  A  very  good  illustra- 
tion is  found  in  correct  parliamentary 
practice,  which  does  not  allow  a 
motion  to  amend  to  lie  on  the  table. 
The  reason  is  that  what  lies  on  the 
table  may  at  any  time  be  taken  from 
the  table;  and  the  main  question  can- 
not be  said  to  have  been  passed  upon, 
as  long  as  it  is  technically  liable  to 


THE   PHRASE.  35 

be  changed  by  an  amendment  still  in 
effect  pending.  In  other  words,  those 
who  are  to  vote  on  the  main  question 
are  entitled  to  know  what  it  is.  I  am 
not  speaking  of  the  ultimate  or  actual 
meaning  of  a  subject.  That  may  be 
entirely  indefinite;  but  even  the  fact 
that  it  is  ultimately  or  actually  indefi- 
nite cannot  be  known,  until  we  know 
what  it  is  that  is  so.  A  man  may 
say  in  so  many  words  that  he  does 
not  know:  but  his  statement  will  have 
no  meaning,  unless  he  specify  the 
thing  he  does  not  know.  If  a  man 
should  say  he  did  not  know  anything, 
he  would  contradict  himself:  for  that 
would  be  claiming  to  know  something. 
The  subject  as  such  must  be  complete 
and  well  defined  before  anything  can 
be  said  of  it  to  any  purpose.  What 
is  said  of  it  now  perhaps  cannot  be 
said  of  it  at  all  after  it  has  been 
added  to  or  changed. 


36  THE  PHRASE. 

Another  view  of  this  is  that  a  sub- 
ject is  something  which  is  under  the 
control  or  authority  of  something  else. 
But  the  subject  of  a  king  or  govern- 
ment is  in  treason  if  he  bear  allegiance 
to  any  other  king  or  government. 
His  rightful  sovereign  or  sovereign 
power  must  govern  the  whole  of  him, 
or,  so  far  as  it  does  not,  he  is  not  a 
subject.  Under  those  forms  of  govern- 
ment which  grant  liberty  of  conscience, 
freedom  of  the  press  and  the  like,  the 
citizens  are  not  subjects  in  respect  to 
those  things.  A  subject  of  thought 
is  that  which  the  thought  grasps  or 
handles,  to  this  extent,  at  least,  that 
it  is  in  the  mind  as  a  complete  definite 
something  which  may  be  controlled 
by  the  mental  processes.  So  the  sub- 
ject of  a  sentence  is  under  the  control 
of  the  sentence  as  a  whole,  and  of  the 
predicate  in  particular.  But  in  order 
to  be  so,  it  must  be  complete  and 


THE  PHRASE.  37 

definite  as  a  subject.  Otherwise,  only 
a  part  of  it  belongs  to  the  sentence, 
and  the  predicate  is  wholly  untrue, 
or  only  partly  true,  which  is  prac- 
tically the  same. 

To  put  the  same  thing  in  still 
another  way.  Any  word  or  words 
capable  of  being  the  subject  of  a 
sentence  may  also  stand  in  the  mind 
complete  as  such.  Each  of  the  ex- 
pressions, man,  good  man,  several  men, 
man  and  boy,  when  heard  or  read, 
suggests  a  thought,  differing,  it  may 
be,  in  different  minds,  but  complete 
and  able  to  stand  alone  in  each.  In 
short,  the  subject  as  such  must  be  so 
truly  complete  and  definite  as  to  be 
entirely  distinct  from  the  predicate  as 
such,  the  former  having  a  relation  to 
the  latter  as  to  another  thing,  and 
not  as  to  itself.  In  respect  to  the 
sentence  the  subject  is  a  part,  in 
respect  to  itself  it  is  a  whole. 

448540 


38  THE  PHRASE. 

On  these  grounds,  the  subject  is 
not  joined  to  its  verb.  By  some  it  is 
considered  desirable  to  join  a  repeated 
subject.  A  repeated  subject,  other 
things  being  equal,  is  more  legible 
than  a  subject  occurring  but  once. 
But  other  things  are  not  always  equal: 
and  admitting  the  difference  between 
a  lone  subject  and  one  repeated,  that 
difference  does  not  seem  to  me  great 
enough  to  justify  a  distinction  in  writ- 
ing. This  last  verges  hard  on  being 
a  distinction  without  a  difference. 
But  this  is  only  my  opinion. 

Allowing  for  such  modifications  as 
grow  out  of  the  different  nature  of 
the  predicate,  the  same  may  be  said 
of  that  as  of  the  subject.  The  predi- 
cate is  that  which  is  said  of  the 
subject,  and  it  must  be  as  complete 
and  definite  as  that  of  which  it  is 
said.  Hence,  the  reason  why  the 
subject  should  not  be  joined  to  the 


THE   PHRASE.  39 

I 

predicate    equally   forbids    the    joining 
of  the  predicate  to  the   subject. 

I  have  reasoned  this  point  somewhat 
at  length  because  it  is  the  only  one 
which  needs  much  more  than  state- 
ment. At  the  same  time,  the  elabora- 
tion which  seems  more  in  place  here, 
perhaps,  than  elsewhere,  serves  to 
emphasize  the  principle,  by  holding 
it  in  view  longer  than  before  or  again. 
Theoretically,  the  phrase  here  appears 
in  its  highest  character;  that  is,  as 
the  starting  point  of  what  we  may 
call  phonographic  syntax,  the  corner 
stone  of  phonographic  structure;  or, 
in  other  words,  as  an  index  of  those 
relations  which  bind  or  sunder  the 
several  parts  as  is  best  for  the  whole. 
Practically,  while  speed  is  increased 
by  any  convenient  joining,  legibility 
may  often  be  prejudiced  by  represent- 
ing the  subject  in  a  character  which 
does  not  belong  to  it. 


40  THE  PHRASE. 

The  case  is  quite  different  when  the 
subject  is  a  pronoun.  A  pronoun  may 
itself  be  a  direct  subject,  but  even 
with  a  verb  of  its  own,  it  always 
relates  to  some  other  word  which  may 
be  called  the  main  subject.  On  this 
account,  the  pronoun  is  incomplete 
without  the  word  which  shows  its 
relation  to  the  general  meaning;  and 
that  word,  when  the  pronoun  is  a 
direct  subject,  is  its  verb.  Because  of 
this  relation,  and  incidentally  because 
the  pronoun  signs  are  distinct  and 
familiar,  both  speed  and  legibility  are 
served  by  joining  the  pronominal 
subject  to  its  verb. 

(2).  The  qualifying  or  limiting  word 
is  obviously  incomplete.  Good,  high, 
great,  and  the  like  do  not  have  an 
exact  meaning  of  their  own.  Each 
as  the  expression  of  a  quality  requires 
some  word  representing  a  thing  in 
which  the  quality  may  reside.  Good 


THE   PHRASE.  41 

as  applied  to  a  man  means  differently 
from  good  as  applied  to  a  horse,  a 
watch,  or  a  locomotive.  Hence  the 
rule  for  joining  the  qualifying  or 
limiting  word. 

This  rule  applies  first  of  all  to  such 
combinations  as  good  man.  liigh  speed, 
(/rcat  multitude,  in  which  one  word 
qualifies  the  other  in  the  simplest 
way,  the  qualified  word  needing  the 
qualifying  word,  not  absolutely,  but 
for  some  particular  purpose.  A  quite 
common  mode  is  that  of  two  words 
qualifying  each  other.  In  the  expres- 
sion Mr.  Smith,  J//\  shows  what 
Smith,  that  is,  not  Mrs.  Smith  or  Miss 
Smith;  and  Smith  shows  what  Mr. 
This  applies  in  all  similar  cases,  where 
doctor,  governor,  president  and  the 
like  are,  if  convenient,  joined  to  their 
surnames.  A  man's  name  is  in  mean- 
ing one  word.  The  rule  for  joining 
the  qualifying  word  covers  the  case 
6 


42  THE  PHRASE. 

of  the  auxiliary  verb  which  qualifies 
the  main  verb,  and  therefore  should 
be  joined.  Here  also,  as  really  wher- 
ever one  word  qualifies  another,  the 
qualifying  and  qualified  word  make 
one  meaning;  that  is,  the  qualifying 
word  is  completed,  and  «the  qualified 
word  is  defined.  In  some  languages, 
where  words  are  inflected  by  change 
of  form,  instead  of  by  added  words, 
this  oneness  extends  to  the  form  as 
well  as  to  the  meaning.  A  Greek  or 
Latin  phrase-writer  would  have  little 
need  of  the  rule  for  joining  the  aux- 
iliary verb.  The  rule  for  joining  the 
qualifying  word  may  be  applied  also 
to  nouns  in  the  predicate.  In  the 
expression,  Jones  is  a  gentleman,  gen- 
tleman, itself  qualified  by  a,  defines 
the  meaning  of  is,  and  is  therefore 
joined.  This  case  will  be  further  ex- 
plained below,  under  another  rule  to 
which  also  it  may  be  referred. 


THE   PHRASE.  43 

(3).  The  leading  word.  In  music 
the  seventh  note  of  the  octave  is 
called  the  leading  note,  because  it 
excites  in  the  mind  an  expectation 
which  is  satisfied  by  the  eighth. 
There  are  words  in  phonographic 
writing  which  for  a  similar  reason 
may  be  called  leading  words,  and  as 
such  should  be  joined  to  the  words  to 
which  they  lead.  Of  this  class  are 
connectives;  that  is,  words  which 
serve  to  connect  one  word,  clause, 
sentence,  paragraph  or  subject  with 
the  preceding  one.  A  word  of  this 
kind  connecting  single  words  is,  if 
convenient,  joined  between;  but,  while 
of  course  it  connects  the  two,  it 
ffhould  be  noted  that  its  chief  office 
is  to  lead  from  the  preceding  word 
to  the  word  following.  For  this 
reason,  if  it  cannot  be  joined  between, 
it  should  be  joined  to  the  following 
word  in  preference.  Of  course,  as  a 


44  THE  PHRASE. 

practical  expedient,  it  should  be 
joined  to  the  preceding  word,  rather 
than  disjoined;  unless,  as  is  sometimes 
the  case,  disjoining  is  unavoidable. 
A  word  represented  by  a  tick  qualifies 
the  following  word  or  leads  to  it,  and 
should  be  joined  accordingly.  If  it 
cannot  be,  it  should  be  treated  as 
above  described.  In  those  systems 
which  represent  some  words  by  inter- 
changeable ticks  and  dots,  it  is  a 
good  rule  never  to  use  a  dot  when  a 
tick  can  be  used;  for  a  dot  requires 
an  extra  lifting  of  the  pen.  Many 
words  may  under  proper  conditions 
become  leading  words.  Here,  for 
example,  belongs  the  case  of  which  I 
have  just  said  I  would  make  a  fur- 
ther explanation.  A  verb  followed  by 
a  predicate  noun  is  a  leading  word. 
Washington  was  elected  president. 
Here,  was  elected  leads  to  president. 
That  is,  the  former  creates  an  expec- 


THE  PHRASE.  45 

tation  which  the  latter  satisfies.  A 
leading  question  is  one  which  not 
only  leads  to  an  answer,  hut  to  an 
anticipated  and  desired  answer.  I  do 
not  assign  such  a  function  to  the 
leading  word  in  a  phonographic  phrase. 
The  shorthand  leading  word  leads  in 
a  general  way  to  something,  hut  does 
not  necessarily  anticipate,  specify  or 
decide  what  that  something  will  be. 
As,  Washington  teas  elected — burgess, 
general,  president.  In  either  case  the 
leading  word  fulfills  its  office.  This 
kind  of  a  phrase  is  not  new,  hut  I  do 
not  remember  seeing  it  explained  in 
this  way  elsewhere.  I  would  offer 
the  name,  leading  word,  as  convenient 
and  suggestive. 

(4).  The  governing  tvord.  A  tran- 
sitive verb,  as  its  name  implies, 
expresses  an  action  or  influence  which 
passes  over  to  or  upon  an  object. 
Here  the  object  is  obviously  necessary 


46  THE   PHRASE. 

to  complete  the  meaning  of  the  verb. 
This  justifies  the  well  known  rule  for 
joining  the  governing  and  governed 
words.  A  preposition,  as  its  name 
does  not  imply,  is  placed  (in  meaning, 
though  not  always  in  form)  between 
two  words  or  expressions  to  indicate 
some  quite  close  relation  which  one 
word  or  expression  bears  to  the  other. 
This  relation  may  be  of  one  kind  or 
another;  but  for  convenience  of 
description,  the  related  word  or  ex- 
pression following  the  preposition  is 
called  in  grammar  its  object,  and  in 
phonographic  writing  it  is.  if  conven- 
ient, joined  as  such.  This  usage  also 
is  well  known.  As  in  the  other  cases, 
the  point  to  be  particularly  attended 
to  here  is,  whatever  may  be  the 
relation  indicated  by  the  preposition, 
the  preposition  itself  has  no  full 
meaning  of  its  own,  but  derives  its 
force  from  the  words  which  it  shows 


THE  PHRASE.  47 

to  be  related,  and,  in  particular,  its 
meaning,  even  with  the  preceding 
word,  is  completed  by  the  following 
word  or  expression.  Hence  the  join- 
ing to  the  following  word.  In  each 
of  the  cases  above-mentioned  the 
object  is  a  substantive,  or  word  used 
as  such.  But  an  infinitive  verb,  with 
or  without  an  object,  explaining  noun 
or  other  related  word,  depends  so 
intimately  upon  the  preceding  related 
expression,  that  it  may  be  called  in 
some  cases  an  object,  or  in  some 
others  a  qualifying  w^ord,  and  joined 
as  such.  The  word  that,  in  such 
expressions  as  /  see  that  you  are  here, 
may  be  considered,  either  as  a  con- 
nective or  leading  word,  making  with 
what  follows  an  indirect  object,  or  as 
itself  an  object,  the  following  words 
being  in  apposition.  In  either  case  it 
may  be  joined  to  the  verb  or  to  the 
following  words,  as  may  be  more 


48  THE   PHRASE. 

convenient;  or  better,  between  the 
verb  and  following  words,  the  whole 
making  one  phrase,  that  is,  a  govern- 
ing word  joined  to  the  words  governed. 
However  this  word  is  treated,  it  is  a 
striking  application  of  the  principle  I 
am  endeavoring  to  expound. 

2.  EXPEDIENTS.  Sometimes  words 
which  belong  together  in  a  phrase 
cannot  be  joined  in  practice,  because 
of  some  peculiarity  in  their  shape, 
inclination  or  direction.  Such  words 
may,  of  course,  be  written  separately, 
but  if  possible,  it  is  far  better,  both 
for  speed  and  for  legibility,  to  join 
them;  and  to  do  so,  recourse  must  be 
had  to  expedients,  legitimate  for  this 
purpose,  though  otherwise  undesirable, 
and  which  have  no  particular  connec- 
tion with  the  rules.  The  expedients 
which  pertain  to  phrase-writing  may 
for  the  most  part  be  placed  in  four 
classes. 


THE   PHRASE.  41) 

(1).  Omission.  Any  element,  circle, 
loop,  stroke,  syllable,  word,  which 
prevents  a  good  phrase,  and  which, 
at  the  same  time,  will  certainly  and 
readily  be  supplied  in  the  reading,  is 
omitted  for  the  sake  of  the  phrase. 
Care  must  be  taken  that  both  the 
above  conditions  are  met.  but  partic- 
ularly the  latter.  Sometimes  a  small 
medial  sign  is  an  advantage  in  join- 
ing; and  generally,  other  things  being 
equal,  the  plainer  of  the  two  forms 
should  be  selected,  for  legibility  must 
always  be  kept  in  viewr.  On  account 
of  their  peculiar  relation  to  the  sen- 
tence, this  expedient  applies  partic- 
ularly to  personal  pronouns. 

(2).  Restoration.  Some  abbreviated 
words  cannot  be  joined,  or  not  without 
difficulty,  for  reasons  similar  to  those 
given  under  omission.  Such  words 
may  often  be  joined,  or  joined  more 
readily,  with  advantage  to  speed  and 
7 


50  THE  PHRASE. 

legibility,  by  being  written  more  at 
length,  and  because  such  words  are 
sometimes  written  in  full  for  this 
purpose,  the  expedient  may  be  called 
by  the  name  given  above. 

(3).  Substitution.  For  convenience 
of  joining,  the  downward  signs  for  /, 
r,  sh  should  sometimes  be  used  for 
the  upward,  and  vice  versa.  For  the 
same  purpose,  the  circle  with  t  should 
be  sometimes  employed  instead  of  the 
nt  loop  at  the  beginning  of  words  as 
in  stick,  stop.  So  the  circle  may 
sometimes  be  used  for  the  s-stroke. 
and  the  brief  signs  for  w  and  y  for 
the  corresponding  strokes.  In  some 
cases  ticks  may  be  used  for  dots  or 
strokes,  and  some  strokes  may  occa- 
sionally be  used  for  the  brief  signs. 
The  above  will  serve  as  samples  of 
this  expedient  which,  if  used  with 
judgment,  is  sometimes  very  helpful. 

(4).     Breaking.     Some  phrases  would 


THE   PHRASE.  51 

be  entirely  correct,  in  fact  are  required 
by  the  rules  or  allowed  by  the  ex- 
pedients, and  in  most  ways  desirable. 
But  they  would  be  very  long,  or 
would  contain  a  succession  of  repeated 
or  similar  letters,  and  in  either  case 
would  be  somewhat  confusing  in 
execution.  A  longhand  writer  in 
writing  a  very  long  word,  especially 
if  it  contain  several  repeated  or 
similar  letters  in  succession,  is  often 
obliged  to  stop,  and  note  if  he  has 
thus  far  written  correctly.  In  phono- 
graphic writing  such  indecision  might 
not  endanger  legibility,  but  would  be 
fatal  to  high  speed.  In  such  a  case 
it  is  better  to  break  the  phrase,  pre- 
ferring, if  possible,  to  so  arrange  the 
parts  that  they  will  balance  each 
other. 

(5).  Convenience.  Some  phrases 
which  have  their  use  cannot  be 
classed  under  any  of  the  rules,  excep- 


52  THE  PHRASE. 

tions  or  above-mentioned  expedients. 
They  are  composed  for  the  most  part 
of  small  forms,  such  as  ticks,  the 
signs  for  prepositions,  conjunctions, 
some  verbs,  and  the  like,  and  are 
joined  principally  to  the  preceding 
word  or  to  each  other,  more  for 
convenience  of  writing,  and  conse- 
quently of  speed,  than  because  they 
sustain  to  the  joined  words,  or  to 
each  other,  such  a  relation  as  is 
required  for  the  best  phrases. 

The  rules  and  expedients  above 
mentioned  substantially  cover  the 
whole  art  of  phrase-writing.  They 
might  be  multiplied  by  particularizing 
more  minutely,  but  I  think  they  can- 
not well  be  stated  more  briefly.  The 
applications  cited  are  intended  as 
illustrations;  not,  of  course,  as  full 
exhibits.  It  would  not  be  possible, 
nor  is  it  desirable  in  so  compendious 
a  work  as  this,  especially  as  I  hope 


THE  PHRASE.  53 

it  will  prove  useful  to  writers  in 
different  systems,  to  specify  all  the 
available,  or  even  desirable  uses  of 
the  rules  stated.  In  fact,  a  book 
cannot  be  made  to  fill  the  place  of 
living  instruction  or  of  well  directed 
practice.  The  applications  referred  to 
can  be  made  in  either  of  the  ways 
above  mentioned,  and  the  more 
thoroughly  the  rules  are  tested  and 
used  in  these  ways,  the  more  clearly, 
I  think,  their  relation  to  the  principle 
will  be  seen. 

4.  KINDS  OF  PHRASES.  Perhaps  no 
better  classification  of  phrases  can  be 
made  than  one  based  upon  the  above 
rules  and  expedients. 

(1).  A  phrase  which  involves  only 
one  of  the  rules,  that  is,  a  pronominal 
subject,  qualifying  word,  leading  word, 
or  governing  word,  joined  to  its  com- 
plement, may  be  called  simple.  It 
would  seem  hardly  necessary  to  sub- 


54  THE  PHRASE. 

divide  this  statement;  but  it  may  be 
done,  so  as  to  include  under  the 
simple  phrase  the  pronominal,  quali- 
tative, final  and  objective  phrases. 

(2).  Phrases  formed  by  single  ex- 
pedients may  be  called  by  correspond- 
ing names.  As,  phrase  of  omission. 
phrase  of  restoration,  phrase  of 
substitution,  broken  phrase,  phrase  of 
convenience.  The  last,  however,  as  it 
is  generally  composed  of  forms  not 
related,  or  not  so  related  as  to  express 
a  complete  meaning,  is  better  called 
a  formal  phrase.  Generally,  each  of 
the  parts  of  a  broken  phrase  may  be 
called  a  formal  phrase. 

(3).  Usually,  a  phrase  involves  more 
than  one  of  the  rules  or  expedients, 
and  may  be  called  compound.  My 
observation  is  that  the  most  frequent 
compound  phrase  is,  a  governing  word 
joined  to  the  word  governed,  with 
qualifying  word  or  words  between. 


THE  PHRASE.  55 

Aside  from  this,  however,  it  is  often 
extremely  interesting  to  observe  how 
the  rules  may  be  combined. 

A  long  and  careful  study  of  the  sub- 
ject has  led  me  to  the  opinion  that 
there  may  be  no  better  way  to  anah'ze 
language,  than  the  way  provided  for. 
and  in  fact  required  by  good  shorthand 
phrase-writing ;  and  that  it  would  be 
difficult  to  mention  a  form  of  intel- 
lectual occupation  more  improving,  and 
at  the  same  time  more  fascinating.  It 
will  be  a  good  da}',  should  it  ever  come, 
when  shorthand  will  be  pursued,  not 
only  by  workers  for  what  it  will  act- 
ually do.  but  by  scholars  and  thinkers 
as  a  form  of  truth,  and  an  effective 
mental  exercise. 


IV.   LIMITS. 


Practical  men  occasionally  suspect 
theory;  but  this  suspicion,  beyond  a 
certain  point,  is  incorrect.  On  the 
other  hand,  theorists  sometimes  under- 
value practice,  but  without  good 
reason.  Neither  theory  nor  practice 
alone  is  complete.  Theory  against 
practice  is  one  thing;  theory  with 
practice,  or  for  the  sake  of  practice, 
quite  another.  The  mere  theorist 
risks  going  astray,  and  the  unthinking 
experimenter  wastes  time.  Neither 
reaches  more  than  partial  success  at 
last.  But,  other  things  being  equal, 
the  theorist  who  tests  his  preliminary 
reasonings  by  well-directed  experi- 
ment, or,  what  is  the  same  thing, 


THE   PHRASE.  57 

the  practitioner  who  broadens  and 
co-ordinates  his  experiments  by  pre- 
liminary reasonings,  comes  nearest 
to  mastery.  To  theorize,  strictly 
speaking,  is  to  see;  that  is,  to  see  a 
thing  as  it  should  be,  and  if  possible 
will  be.  To  practice  is  to  do  a  thing 
as  well  as  possible  under  the  con- 
ditions. If  the  architects  of  St.  Peter's 
had  not  seen  it  as  it  was  to  be,  living 
men  would  not  now  see  it  as  it  is. 
The  old  music-masters  no  doubt  lived 
in  a  world  unknown  to  common  men, 
and  were  ravished  with  conceptions 
which  they  could  not  realize  to  the 
world,  even  in  their  magnificent  com- 
positions. Pure  theory,  in  fact,  is 
always  more  or  less  restricted  by  the 
conditions  of  practice.  The  principle 
herein  stated  as  the  basis  of  phrase- 
writing  is,  like  every  other  original 
principle,  perfect:  but  it  cannot  be 
perfectly  used. 


58  THE  PHRASE. 

The  broken  phrase  is  really  an 
exception,  and  the  formal  phrase 
comes  under  the  law  of  speed,  and 
not  under  the  law  of  relation.  Both 
are  limits  to  the  phrase-writing  theory. 
There  are  other  ways  in  which  correct 
phrases  are  precluded;  principally,  I 
suppose,  on  account  of  insufficiency 
in  what  we  may  call  the  material  of 
phonographic  expression.  On  the  one 
hand,  we  have  the  refined  relations 
of  words,  and  the  more  refined  rela- 
tions of  the  thoughts  which  the  words 
express;  and  with  these  the  practical 
demand  of  speed.  On  the  other  hand, 
we  have  a  straight  line  and  a  curve, 
modified  in  a  few  simple  ways,  and 
furnished  with  a  few  simple  attach- 
ments; we  have  also  a  dot  and  a 
dash.  Kules  and  expedients  by  which 
to  meet  such  requirements  with  such 
means,  swiftly  enough  to  follow  rapid 
speech,  yet  accurately  enough  to  be 


THE   PHRASE.  59 

absolutely  reliable,  and  legibly  enough 
to  be  read  without  mistake,  with 
occasional  variations,  it  is  true,  but 
referable  as  a  whole  to  one  governing 
principle,  must  be  regarded  with 
respect.  The  authors  of  many  years 
who,  together  or  in  succession,  by 
patient  elaboration  and  with  scientific 
ambition,  have  rendered  possible  the 
achievements  of  modern  shorthand, 
are  worthy  of  honor  as  lovers  and 
helpers  of  mankind.  The  well  in- 
structed phonographer  is  surprised, 
not  that  the  limits  are  so  man}',  but 
that  they  are  so  few.  The  principal 
limits  of  phrase-writing  may  be 
referred  to  two  points,  speed  and 
legibility. 

1.  SPEED.  Phrase-writing  unques- 
tionably increases  speed,  as  we  have 
seen;  but  some  possible  or  conceivable 
phrases,  on  the  contrary,  diminish  it. 
A  phrase  may  be  correct  in  theory. 


60  THE  PHRASE. 

but  composed  of  forms  which  cannot 
be  joined  with  convenience.  This 
point  of  convenience  has  already  been 
mentioned  more  than  once,  but  the 
reason  why  inconvenience  should  be 
avoided  has  not  been  directly  stated. 
A  man  can  do  so  much,  no  more. 
Care  is  one  form  of  personal  force, 
and  what  force  is  used  in  care  cannot 
be  used  in  anything  else,  and,  of 
course,  not  in  speed.  An  inconvenient 
combination,  therefore,  should  be 
avoided,  not  so  much  because  it  is 
difficult,  as  because,  on  that  account, 
it  is  also  slow.  As  we  have  seen, 
the  inconvenience  may  sometimes  be 
overcome  by  omission,  restoration, 
substitution,  breaking,  or  by  making 
convenience  itself  a  rule  for  the  time 
being;  but  sometimes  the  words  must 
be  written  separately.  A  phrase, 
besides  being  correct  in  theory,  may 
look  very  compact  and  brief;  but  if 


THE  PHRASE.  61 

inconvenient,  it  should  be  discarded. 
Convenience  is  one  of  the  cardinal 
points  of  phonography.  Obtuse  an- 
gles, successions  of  the  same  or  similar 
letters,  great  intricacy  and  undue 
length,  all  require  much  care,  and  as 
far  as  possible  should  be  avoided. 
Phrases  formed  by  complex  mental 
processes,  on  account  of  their  involv- 
ing many  rules,  are  often  useful;  but 
only  after  having  been  thoroughly 
studied  and  carefully,  patiently  prac- 
ticed beforehand.  They  cannot  be 
advantageously  invented  at  the  time 
of  writing.  For  the  most  part,  good 
reporting  is  undoubtedly  mechanical; 
for,  quick  as  a  thought-process  is,  it 
is  not  quick  enough,  especially  when 
involved  with  clever  movements  of 
the  hand,  to  answer  the  highest 
phonographic  purposes.  But  the  best 
dexterity  is  gained  only  by  severe 
study  and  practice  before  and  with 


62  THE  PHRASE. 

much  practical  experience. 

2.  LEGIBILITY,  as  well  as  speed,  is 
greatly  increased  by  phrase-writing, 
but  diminished  by  some  possible  or 
conceivable  phrases.  For  example: 
very  rapid  writers  often  make  an 
unnecessary  use  of  special  position; 
for  many  words  are  sufficiently  dis- 
tinct without  it;  although  the  habit 
is  not  absolutely  objectionable  after 
it  has  become  well  established.  But 
some  words  need  special  position  for 
legibility.  At  the  same  time,  in  a 
phrase,  all  words  except  the  one  or 
ones  which  determine  the  position  of 
the  phrase,  altogether  lose  their 
position  by  being  joined.  It  is  plain, 
therefore,  that  while  words  depending 
on  their  position  for  legibility  may 
often  be  joined,  especially  to  following 
words,  they  should  not  be  joined  in 
such  a  manner  as  to  obscure  their 
position. 


THE   PHRASE.  G3 

It  is  quite  common  in  good  practice 
to  distinguish  two  or  more  similar 
forms  by  joining  one  to  preceding 
words  which  obscure  the  position,  and 
disjoining  the  other  or  others.  Such 
distinctions  are  occasionally  arbitrary, 
but  not  often.  It  is  usually  best  to 
join,  as  above,  words  which,  if  alone, 
would  be  written  in  the  second  position 
(which  may  be  called  the  normal 
place  of  writing)  and  to  disjoin  words 
which  b}r  themselves  belong  in  the 
first  or  third  position.  The  omission 
of  some  words  is  indicated  by  joining 
the  remaining  words.  But  this  should 
be  done  with  strict  selection,  as  it 
would  often  compromise  legibility  to 
use  one  expedient  for  too  many  pur- 
poses. 

The  above  and  similar  suggestions 
would  be  somewhat  differently  applied 
in  different  systems;  not  because  they 
are  more  or  less  correct  in  one  system 


64  THE  PHRASE. 

than  in  another,  but  because  the 
systems  use  phonographic  material 
differently.  The  whole  matter  of  the 
limits  may  be  stated  in  substance  as 
follows:  for  speed,  avoid  phrases 
which  are  inconvenient;  for  legibility, 
avoid  phrases  which  endanger  it. 


CONCLUSION. 


1.  SHORTHAND  SYSTEMS.  Any  sys- 
tem of  rules  and  practice  is  best 
judged  by  its  harmony  with  the 
principles  of  the  subject  to  which  it 
pertains.  Phonography  is  not,  and 
never  can  be  what  any  man  sees  fit 
to  make  it.  However  its  usage  may 
lapse  and  change,  its  principles  are 
unvarying  and  universal,  and  the  aim 
of  study  and  practice  should  be  to 
interpret  them  wisely.  In  a  subject 
larger  than  can  be  grasped  at  once, 
or  by  one  mind,  there  is  room  for 
honest  difference;  and  we  gain  nothing 
by  partisanship,  since  truth  must  and 
should  win  at  last.  Practically,  it  is 
better  to  follow  ojie  system  than  to 
9 


66  THE  PHRASE. 

follow  several.  Any  good  system 
(that  is,  any  system)  while  it  possesses 
elaboration,  regularity  and  unity, 
differs  enough  (in  order  to  differ  at 
all)  from  others,  to  make  the  partial 
use  of  several  somewhat  confusing; 
especially,  since  the  differences  must, 
in  the  nature  of  the  case,  be  technical 
and  fine,  and  such  differences  are 
more  perplexing  than  more  obvious 
ones.  But  man's  work  is  never  per- 
fect; the  best  system  is  that  which 
draws  nearest  to  nature,  and  the 
subject  belongs  to  us  all.  Granting 
the  desirableness  of  having  only  one 
shorthand  system,  we  are  likely  to 
have  only  one  about  as  soon  as  we 
shall  have  only  one  church,  only  one 
school  of  medicine,  only  one  style  of 
steam  engine,  only  one  political  party. 
But  the  desirableness  of  having  only 
one  shorthand  system  is  not  as  ob- 
vious as  some  other  things  are.  Only 


THE  PHRASE.  G7 

the  division  of  labor  could  do  the 
work  of  the  world.  In  religion  every 
form  of  faith  and  unfaith  has  its  use. 
And  so  it  is  with  every  important 
subject  of  human  thought,  and  every 
important  mode  of  human  action. 
The  only  way  of  separating  phonog- 
raphy from  this  general  law  is  to 
show  it  to  be  so  small  that  some  one 
mind  has  entirely  mastered  it.  But, 
whoever  the  man  may  be  who  has 
penetrated  the  subject  most  deeply, 
he,  I  think,  is  the  man  least  likely  to 
claim  that  he  knows  all  about  it. 

2.  SHORTHAND  WRITERS.  A  machine 
could  be  built  part  by  part,  in  imita- 
tion of  a  finished  copy.  But  it  would 
be  a  harder  strain  upon  the  skill  and 
patience  of  the  builder,  than  if  the 
work  should  begin  with  the  drawing 
and  the  pattern,  each  after-stage 
being  a  preparation  for  the  next,  and 
the  completed  whole  a  realization  of 


68  THE  PHRASE. 

the  first  plan.  So,  shorthand  may  be 
written  by  rote,  but  not  so  easily  nor 
so  well  as  by  systematic  study  and 
technical  practice.  To  use  another 
figure,  the  phonographer,  like  the 
manufacturer  or  machine  user,  must 
decide  whether  it  is  not  best  to  pay 
a  reasonable  first  cost,  for  the  sake 
of  lighter  running  expense.  The  mere 
imitator  or  unthinking  experimenter 
may  finally  get  on  by  one  shift  and 
another;  but  he  must  always  work 
harder  than  the  trained  writer,  and 
then  stop  short  of  the  best  results. 
But,  as  in  a  great  pipe  organ  the 
lowest  and  heaviest  tones  do  not 
obscure  the  highest  and  most  delicate 
ones,  so  in  the  best  shorthand,  through 
all  the  stress  of  actual  performance 
runs  the  scholar's  finer  work;  neither 
obscures,  but  each  perfects  the  other. 
3.  A  SUGGESTION.  After  a  genera- 
tion of  authorship,  succeeding  many 


THE   PHRASE.  69 

generations  of  experiment  and  evolu- 
tion from  an  obscure  past,  the  short- 
hand writers  of  English  speaking 
nations  mainly  use  a  few  systems,  all 
of  which  are  constructed  on  one 
general  basis.  This  fact  seems  to 
indicate  that  the  best  phonographic 
progress  hereafter  will  lie,  not  in 
novelty,  and  crude,  disconnected  ex- 
periments, but  in  the  conservation 
and  mastery  of  what  we  have;  and 
that  it  is  now  our  privilege  and  duty 
to  pursue  the  art  to  its  original  prin- 
ciples, to  study  more  profoundly,  to 
generalize  more  broadly,  to  investi- 
gate in  the  large  sense,  and  to  help 
each  other. 

THE  END. 


INDEX. 


NOTE:  Figures  refer  to  pages.  Of  the  letters  in  con- 
nection,  a  refers  to  the  upper  half  of  a  page,  6  to  the 
lower. 

ERRATA  :  The  division  Kinds  of  Phrases  was  accident- 
ally numbered  4  in  the  text,  page  53b,  but  correctly 
numbered  3  in  the  Analysis.  The  division  Phrase  of 
Breaking  (broken)  should  have  been  placed  in  the  Anal- 
ysis,  and  will  be  found  in  the  Index. 

principle,  26a;  rule, 28a;  sub- 
ject. 33b. 
DRAWBACK,  22b. 

E. 

EXCEPTION',      distinguished 
from  rule,29b,30a;  reason  of, 
28b ;  use  of,  29b. 
EXPEDIENT,  nature  of,  30a; 
use  of.  30b.  (See  Rule). 
EXPEDIENTS,  48a;  examples, 
49-52a.  (See  Omission,  Restora- 
tion, Substitution,  Breaking, 
Convenience). 

EXPENSE,  (See  Running  Ex- 
nense). 

EXPERIENCE,  as  a  teacher. 
24a ;  necessity  of,  23b.  (See 
Habit). 

F. 

FINAL  PHRASE,  54a. 
FIRST  COST,  68a. 
FORMAL  PHRASE,  54b,  58a. 

G. 

GENERAL  PRINCIPLES.  27a. 
GOVERNING    WORD     joined, 
4ob;  examples.  46-48a. 

H. 

HABIT,  correct,  how  estab- 
lished, 24b;  importance  of, 


A. 

ABBREVIATION,  safer  in  long 
forms,  18b;  in  phrases.  19a. 
ADVANTAGES,  15b. 
APPLICATION,  3-2a. 
ART,  denned,  13b;  where  it 
begins  in  rhetoric  and  mu- 
sic, lOb;  in  shorthand,  13b, 
15a. 

AUTHORS,  shorthand,  re- 
sponsibility ot,  23a;  scien- 
tific, 59a. 

B. 

BOOKS,  rs.living  instruction, 
53a. 

BREAKING,  expedient  of,  50b. 
BROKEN  PHRASE,  54a;  really 
an  exception,  58a. 

C. 

CAUTION,  21a. 
COMPOUND  PHRASE,  54b. 
CONCLUSION,  65a, 
CONVENIENCE,  expedient  of, 
51b;    importance    of,    60a; 
phrase  of,  54a. 
COST.  (See  First  Cost). 

D. 

DEFINITIONS,  expedient,  30a ; 
phrase,  lib;  predicate,  33b; 


INDEX. 


71 


24b.  (See  Experience). 

INC<  (NVEMENCE,      examples 

of.  61a;  why  to  be  avoided  il 

possible,  tiOb. 

IXSTHI  -(HON.    (See  Books  vs. 

Liriity  Instruction). 

INSUFFICIENCY  of  shorthand 

material.  58a. 

INTREPIDITY.     (See  Tact  and 

Intrepidity). 

INTRODUCTORY,  o. 

L. 

LARGE    NOTES.    (See    Small 
Ifotes). 

LEADING  WORD  joined.  43a; 
examples,  43a-4o. 
LEGIBILITY,  and  position, 
63a;  as  related  to  speed.  15b; 
degrees  of.  16b;  diminished 
by  some  phrases.  21a,  62a; 
importance  ot,  17a;  in  re- 
porting notes,  Kib ;  increased 
by  better  penmanship.  20a; 
by  joining  related  words, 
20b;  by  phrasing,  19a;  re- 
quirement of  variable,  16b. 
LIMITS.  56a;  comparatively 
few,  59b. 

M. 

MACHINE  BUILDING.  67b. 
Mrsic,  art  point,  lOb. 
Mrsic  MASTERS,  old,  57b. 
MUSICAL  I'HUASK,  lOb. 

N. 
NOTES.  (See  Small  Notes). 

•  O, 

OIUECTIVE  PHRASE,  54a. 
OMISSION,  expedient  of,  49a; 

8 h  rase  of,  54a. 
RGAN.  (See  Pipe  Organ). 

P. 

PARLIAMENTARY    PRACTICE, 
34b. 

PARTISANSHIP,  nothing  gain- 
ed by,  65b. 

PEN-LIFTINGS,  time  required 
for,     18a;     diminished     by 
phrase-writing,  17b. 
PENMANSHIP,    good,    favor- 
able to   legibility,  20a;  im- 


proved by  phrase-writing, 
20a ;  prejudiced  by  hurry  ,1'Jb- 
PHONOGRAFHY.  (See  short. 

hand,  passim). 

I'IIKASE,  the,  allows  freer 
abbreviation,  19a;  art  point, 
3!»b ;  based  in  part  on  rela- 
tion. 13a;  broken,  54a;  com- 
pound, 54b;  final,  54a;  form- 
al, .">4b:  musical,  lOb  ;  object- 
ive, 54a;  of  convenience. 
54a;  of  omission,  54a;  of 
restoration,  54a  ;  of  substitu- 
tion, 54a;  pronominal,  54a; 
qualitative,  54u ;  represents 
completeness.  13b;  requires 
fewer  pen-liftings.  17b;  rhet- 
orical. 9b:  shorthand,  lib; 
simple,  53b;  valuable  in  pro- 
portion as  it  is  mastered, 
23b. 

PHRASES,  best,  13a;  complex, 
61a;  kinds  of,  53b. 
PIPE  ORGAN,  68b. 
POSITION,  62a. 

PRACTICK.  (See  Study  and 
Practice ',  also  Theory  and 
Practice). 

PREDICATE,  complete.  38b ; 
defined,  33b;  not  joined  to 
its  subject,  38b. 
PRINCIPLE,  defined,  26a; 
distinguished  from  rule.  27- 
29;  relation  of  to  rule,  28a; 
the,  31a. 

I'RONOMINAL  PHRASE,  54a. 
PUBLISHERS,  shorthand,  re- 
sponsibility of,  23a. 

Q- 

QUALIFICATION,  necessity  of, 
22-23. 

QUALIFYING    WORD   joined, 
40b;  examples,  41-42. 
QUALITATIVE  PHRASE,  54a. 

K. 

REPORTING,  mechanical.  61b ; 
notes,     legibility    in,    16b; 
speed,  16a,  20a. 
RESTORATION,  expedient  of, 
49b ;  phrase  of,  54a. 
RHETORIC,  art  point,  lOb. 


INDEX. 


RHETORICAL  PHRASE.  9b. 
RULE,  defined,  28a;  distin- 
guished from  principle,  27 
29;  relation  of  to  principle, 
28a;  use  of,  28a,  30a.  (See  Ex- 
pedient). 

RULES,  32b.  (See  Pronominal 
Subject,  Qualifying  Word, 
Leading  Word,  Governing 
Word;  also  Rules  and  Ex- 
pedients). 

RULES  AND  EXPEDIENTS,  ef- 
fective, 58b. 
RUNNING  EXPENSE,  68a. 

S. 

SCHOLAR,  phonographic,  the 
work  of,  68b. 

SELF-POSSESSION,  necessity 
of.  22a. 

SHORTHAND,  ail  point.  13b, 
loa:  as  a  form  of  truth,  55b; 
as  a  mental  exercise,  55b;  as 
a  mode  of  analyzing  lan- 
guage, 55a;  authors,  23a,  59a; 
founded  on  principles,  65b; 
insufficiency  of  material, 
58a;  progress  of,  69a:  pub- 
lishers, 23a;  standard  of  pro- 
ficiency in,  24b;  systems,  65a, 
66b;  teachers.  23a:  uses  of, 
16a;  writers,  67b.  69b. 
SIMPLE  PHRASE,  53b. 
SMALL  NOTES  advantageous, 
21b. 

SPEED,  as  related  to  legibil- 
ity, lob:  diminished  by  some 
phrases,  59b:  increased  by 
fewer  pen-liftings,  17b;  by 
freer  abbreviation,  19a;  by 


phrase- writing.    17a:    must 
be   high  in    reporting,  16a, 
20a;    requirement    of  vari- 
able, 15b. 
ST.  PETER'S,  57a. 
STATEMENT.  9. 

STUDY    AND  PRACTICE,  dis- 
tinguished  from  work,  23b: 
importance  of,  61b. 
SUBJECT,  complete.  33b.  35b, 
37b;  defined.  33b;  not  joined 
to  its   predicate,  38a;    pro- 
nominal joined,  40a;  repeat- 
ed, case  of,  3Sa. 
SUBSTITUTION,  expedient  of, 
50a;  phrase  of,  54a. 
SUGGESTION.  681  >. 
SYSTEMS,    shorthand,    prac- 
tically better  to  use  one,  65b; 
quality,  65a,  66b. 

T. 

TACT  AND    INTREPIDITY    in 
the  reporter.  24a. 
TEACHERS,     shorthand,    re- 
sponsibility of,  23a. 
TEACHING,  where   it  stops, 
24a. 

THEORY,    57a.    (See    Theory 
and  Practice). 
THEORY  AND  PRACTICE,  56-57. 

U. 
UNIFORMITY,  66b. 

W. 

WORK.  (See  Study  and  Prac- 
tice). 

WRITERS,  shorthand,  com- 
pared, 67b;  privilege  and 
duty  of,  69b. 


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